What's in a Name?

SickScience promises incredible results. It's the name that turns me off.

Hello, Gorgeous!

Remember the controversy some years back when Guerlain re-released Samsara perfume? The brand’s intention was to create a fragrance symbolizing multiple elements of life and stressing harmony. The name they chose didn’t quite fit the bill.

In Buddhism, the Sanskrit word Samsara more properly defined also includes endless suffering and death in the karmic life circle. Not exactly what you’d want to spritz on every morning. Thankfully, there was a happy ending and consumers continue to embrace Samsara the perfume.

Product names don’t appeal to everyone

In my years in the beauty industry I’ve spent quite a bit of time naming products and brands. It’s fun! It’s also an arduous and exhausting process. And let’s not even discuss checking what the name you come up with means in other cultures or languages.

Did I ever tell you about the time a former client insisted on naming a new skincare launch after a character in Game of Thrones? There’s a reason you’ve never heard about that brand. They invested millions, and it tanked — rightfully so.

When naming a brand you have to think about how to inspire consumers to want to take ownership of your brand. Your customers have to want not only to show it off, but to talk about it glowingly to their friends…which brings us to SickScience.

Buzz or brand longetivity?

I’m not going to pretend; I really don’t like the name SickScience. While I’m open to pretty much any name for any brand, to me at least it’s a turnoff.

I understand the buzziness of wanting to use popular slang or common vernacular in a brand name, but like things being cheugy or on fleek, it’s not a great word or expression to build a brand on for the long-term.

We don’t know how long describing something as sick will be desirable. More than that, once we’re over the immediacy of the name SickScience, one has to wonder about the efficacy. Is it all hype, or can this brand meet its claims? And that’s the interesting part. The brand itself seems to be the real deal.

I’m incredibly impressed with SickScience’s founders and the brand claims to have created proprietary formulas meant to “rewrite corrupt biological code and send messages to correct cellular activity, delivering breakthrough results.” I just can’t get past the name. And while I’d really love to try out their ShapeShift gel serum for neck and double chin, I probably won’t. And there’s a good reason for it.

Despite creating a product that’s incredibly tempting to me, it’s unlikely that I’m SickScience’s target demographic. And that’s the real beauty of the skincare market today, there’s something for everyone (and something to turn everyone else off at the same time!).

So, do you like/dislike the name of the brand SickScience? And would a brand name bother you enough to avoid buying it? Let me know in the comments!

Rachel, Your beauty concierge 💋